Page 45 of Forbidden Game

I peel off my shirt and trousers, folding them haphazardly and leaving them on my roller bag. I stroll into the bathroom in just my briefs, keeping the door open as I get ready for the night.

If I have to suffer the torture of sleeping next to her without touching her, she can deal with my body.

I catch Syd checking out my ass a few times while brushing my teeth before our eyes lock and she abruptly turns over and pulls the sheets up to her neck.

I roll my eyes, shutting off the lights and maneuvering through the dark room to the bed. Sydney doesn’t budge as the bed dips under my added weight, but I do see her eyelids tighten. I lie on my side, propping my chin on my palm as I look at her. Try as she might, she can’t fake asleep.

A few seconds pass before her left eye cracks open slightly. When she sees me, both eyes pop open, dipping briefly to my bare chest then back up to my gaze. Her jaw tightens and she flips over, giving me her back as she curls into a ball.

It’s that split second of want that blooms in her gaze which gives me strength.

Sydney might like to think she is an iron castle, that she doesn’t let anyone see what’s past the gates unless she wants them to, but she forgets that I own the kingdom. I always see the little moments where she stares just a touch too long, where her attention slips lower than she intended it to.

Sydney Lake can say whatever she wants, she can be as professional as she deems, but I know that there is a piece of her that craves me just as much as I crave her. She’s Eve and I’m the forbidden fruit. I just need to find a way to convince her to take a bite.

“All right, Syd?” My voice breaks the silence, and I see the way her shoulders pinch.

“I’m fine.” It’s a short, clipped response.

“You seem a little tense.”

“I’m just tired.”

“Didn’t seem that tired when you were eating your cherries.” The silence returns as she proceeds to ignore me. “In fact, seemed like you were really enjoying them.”

“Parker, I’m trying to sleep. We have to be at the airport in six hours.”

“Wouldn’t be worried about that if we took the jet,” I bait.

“Seriously?” She flips over and frowns at me.

“Seriously.” I knew that would get her.

We lock eyes, and I hold, waiting to see if she’ll cave like always. She holds out longer than I expected, but eventually her gaze slides to the left to stare out the window behind me.

“I’m not in the mood to deal with this, Parker.”

“With what?” I push.

“With you.”

Her eyes return to mine. There’s an undercurrent of pain curling around the steel. This is the closest I’ve ever gotten her to admitting something. Hidden by the night, with only small slithers of moonlight leaking in through cracks in the blinds and the soft glow of the alarm clock.

I see her step closer to the tree and take a closer look at the forbidden fruit dangling within her reach.

I reach forward, gathering a loose tendril of hair that has slipped out of her bun. I push the golden lock behind her ear, letting my fingertips trace the shell before coming to rest on her chin. Her body shivers at the contact.

I leave my hand between us. An open invitation.

The silence grows until it is thick with the tension bleeding around us.

Her chest rises and falls as her emotions create a whirlwind inside her small body. Those eyes dip to my lips, up to my stare, then back to my lips. I don’t stop the urge to bite my lower lip, I embrace it, letting the pain center me.

Her hand comes up to circle my raised wrist, and the world stops spinning.

I know this is the moment. The moment when she decides to take a bite or not. She’s plucked the fruit off the tree; the temptation is right there in the palm of her hand.

This is the one shot.

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